Repaint request

ThinkingManNeil

ThinkingManNeil

Charter Member
Could someone please do a repaint of John Woodward's FS2002 Alon Ercoupe in a polished metal scheme for me? I don't have access to PhotoShop (I've never been able to get my copy of PhotoShop 7 to load properly onto my Windows 7 machine. It's a copy my sister, a graphics designer, gave me and it worked fine on my old Windows XP system but no joy on 7) or any of the Corel products. I tried to do it in MS Paint but I made an utter mess of it. I asked over at the Simmers Paint Shop if it was possible to do a polished metal Ercoupe with MS Paint but they said no.

What I have in mind is an overall polished metal 'coupe with the entire tail group in a deep metallic blue that also covers the rear fuselage to about 1/3rd along to the back of the rear windows. The wingtips would also be blue on the tops and bottoms of the wings. The Canadian civil registration code C-GRNH would appear on the bottom of the starboard wing in the same shade of deep blue, while also appearing on both sides of the read fuselage below the horizontal stabilizer in polished metal or metallic silver characters. Wingwalks atop both wings along side the fuselage forward of the wing trailing edges and an anti-glare panel on top of the engine cowling would be in black. Finally, the word "Cloudhopper" would be on the port side of the engine cowling in blue in italicized script.

I don't have any pics of a real world Ercoupe in this guise; I was inspired by some of polished aluminum Ercoupe skins for Mr. Woodward's model done by the late and very talented Leon Louis. I've included an illustration of an Ercoupe with notes on it and a photo of a Hawker Sea Fury with the shade of blue I have in mind:

View attachment 30305

View attachment 30306 The blue

Cheers and thanks in advance,

N.
 
Working on the VC. . . .sharpened the gauges up by changing the resolution and moved em' a bit to match the changes to the texture. Also added the switches that were just artwork on the original (lower left). Almost done. . . . .:salute:
 
Thanks very, very much, Falcon. Just to clarify about the external colours they are polished aluminum, the deep metallic blue tail, rear fuselage, blue registration marks beneath the starboard wing, silver or polished metal registration marks beneath the tail, and black wingwalks and glare shield. The illustration was the only example of three-view line art of an Ercoupe that I could find, so I only used it for notes.

I surely do appreciate your efforts.

Cheers,

N.
 
It Figures...

LOL... It figures that Ed and I would get hooked on the same painting subject again...

Neil, I saw your request and thought that it sounded like a pretty scheme... but I thought Ito-San's Ercoupe had more potential (sure, I fixed the flight dynamics). So I decided to take a crack at the scheme using that model...

View attachment 30351View attachment 30352

No lettering yet, but is this kinda what you were after?
-Mike Z.
 
mikezola said:
LOL... It figures that Ed and I would get hooked on the same painting subject again...
Neil, I saw your request and thought that it sounded like a pretty scheme... but I thought Ito-San's Ercoupe had more potential (sure, I fixed the flight dynamics). So I decided to take a crack at the scheme using that model...No lettering yet, but is this kinda what you were after?
-Mike Z.
Click to expand...
Mike, glad you popped in here. I hadn't read Neil's post until this morning. I really hadn't intended to do the repaint, I was just looking at the VC and decided it could use a bit of an upgrade. I could take a shot at the paint, but it won't be right away. I would want to add correct panel lines and rivets. . .none of which are on the textures for the one Neil has, so all that would have to be added a bit at a time and checked for alignment before continuing.

I actually like Ito's Ercoupe much better as well, but I fly exclusively from the VC and if I remember right his didn't have one at all.
 
Hi, Ed-
Actually, Ito's model does have a VC- I don't know how functional it is, but it's better than most of his VCs... Of course, it needed sharpening to 1024. I then adapted the FDE from the FS2002 Ercoupe to this model without too much grief...
I imagine you're probably doing away with all those older gauges in that panel, eh?
-Mike Z.
 
mikezola said:
LOL... It figures that Ed and I would get hooked on the same painting subject again...

Neil, I saw your request and thought that it sounded like a pretty scheme... but I thought Ito-San's Ercoupe had more potential (sure, I fixed the flight dynamics). So I decided to take a crack at the scheme using that model...

View attachment 30351View attachment 30352

No lettering yet, but is this kinda what you were after?
-Mike Z.
Click to expand...

Hi Mike;

Well damn, if that ain't nearly spot on! And Ito's Ercoupe would suit me just fine; it's just I've always been a fan of what I've always thought was a funky little airplane. I've been using John Woodward's version because Leon Louis did a series of repaints with Canadian civil codes on them. which, with my being a denizen of the Great White North was a natural choice for me.

I really do like what you've done with her so far, and that you did it without the wheel pants, which I think makes the 'coupe look a little clunky and apparently exacts a toll on the real aircraft's useful load rating without providing much benefit speed-wise. No, pants-less looks nice and clean to me.

There is one detail I'll mention about the panel lines on the wings that most people may be unaware of. Fred Weick, the designer of the Ercoupe, in his genius arranged the wing ribs in an opposing, repeating diagonal fashion, much like the truss members of a box girder bridge (kinda like this "VVV") , instead of the usual fore and aft arrangement you find in nearly all other aircraft. This apparently reduced weight as fewer ribs were needed while still providing the strength to carry all the aerodynamic and torsional loads generated in flight. Most stock Ercoupe wings were or are fabric covered and you can see the diagonal effect more clearly with the subtle sag of the fabric between the ribs, but some Ercoupes, especially the later Forney and Alon-built models had aluminum covered wings where you would see the "VVV" rivet lines. Of course, metal wings exacted a weight penalty; around forty pounds for the sheeting I think.

It was Weick's Ercoupe that also patented the use of tricycle nose gear and trailing-link landing gear on the main wheels. The original 'coupes were practically unstallable and unspinable due to the fact that Weick linked the rudder function directly to the ailerons (eliminating the need for rudder pedals in the process but which some owners convert their ships to anyways for reasons of personal preference) and by limiting the amount of up-travel on the elevator.

The Ercoupe is currently enjoying something of a revival with the current popularity of the LSA - Light Sport Aircraft - category that the FAA created a couple years ago. LSA's are currently the fastest growing segment in general aviation, with a huge influx of high quality aircraft coming in from Europe. If I had the funds I'd be sorely tempted to set up an operation to turn out a line of composite airframed, Rotax-powered Ercoupes like so many cupcakes!

Mike, since you seem closest to what I had in mind I'd like to go with your rendition. Falcon, thanks for your input; I do appreciate it.

Cheers lads!

N.
 
Niffty NumberThis!!

I Came!..I Saw!..I like!..I Want!..I go'na Get!! What a neat little "Sport AC' this one is ...really like the paint job you've done..so am off to find and download..! Thanks for the Thread.

Walt
Fly High..Punch Holes in the Sky!
 
I did a lot of custom repaints for the 'Ito' aircoupe right after it came out. i'll have to look and see if i still have them.
 
OK,Folks- I just uploaded the package- Come and get it!!!!!

Neil, I'm glad you like it- and I'm glad to have done it for you!

Enjoy, everyone! -Mike Z.
 
Absolutely splendid, Mike! I've currently got her up on a flight from Goderich on Lake Huron to Guelph and she looks smashing!

Thanks again!

N.
 
mikezola said:
OK,Folks- I just uploaded the package- Come and get it!!!!!

Neil, I'm glad you like it- and I'm glad to have done it for you!

Enjoy, everyone! -Mike Z.
Click to expand...
Hi, where is it and the name of the file please, looks very nice.

John049 thanks for all the repaints and also mine (N3191H), if u need any I have them.
 
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